Second Time
by Shaggy Rower
Summary: They'd done it! They'd beaten the AI! But it seemed that more than that was needed to ensure the world's survival. Hajime Hinata wakes up to find himself… back on the beach where it all began. Armed with knowledge of the future Hinata must clear the game without letting any of his friends die, but with a certain Ultimate Despair whispering in the back of his mind can he manage it?
1. Oh No! Not again!

"Well let's get started."

"I didn't think it would end this easily."

"Huh? It's not the end, right?"

"This is just the beginning… right?"

"First, we need to let this game world end…"

"And from that point on… we are the ones who are going to create."

As one, the five remaining survivors pressed both buttons at the same time.

Cracks started to appear in the giant Enoshima like a smashed pain of glass. In a burst of light Usami, twirling faster than a spinning top, broke her way out of her chest. The giant Enoshima tried to crush her, but the little rabbit dodged to the right and, with a twirl of her magic wand, conjured a sword of radiant multi-coloured light. She leapt into the air, plunging the sword into Enoshima's hand and sending bolts of colourful lightning flowing across her body. Enoshima dropped her phone, trying to crush the rabbit with her other hand, but Usami nimbly dodged that as well and pinned her second hand down with another light sword. With a flick of her wand she sent out a rope of rainbow light which attached itself to the monsters head, and then with surprising strength pulled it down to the floor. No sooner had the Ultimate Despair's head hit the ground than Usami had leaped towards it again, spinning around and delivering a powerful kick to her head. Then with a large blast of rainbow light from her wand Usami flew, circling around and around Enoshima with a trails of multi-coloured light in her wake. The rope tightened around the giant, and as Usami landed back on the floor she raised her wand, summoning an enormous sword of intense golden light, and sliced Enoshima in half. The Enoshima construct started to fall apart, as she did Usami released what could only be described as an explosion of different coloured hearts that wiped the giant out from existence.

The Enoshima in the phone cackled quietly to herself between heavy breaths. "Man, this is absolute despair… I feel despair upon despair and despair towards despair yet again… How fun. Once you've experienced the despair I've suffered… there's no turning back. Living in the shadows of past memories… That's… too sad, you know… Ah, but I guess… I no longer… I no longer have to… hope for despair…" She took once last deep gasp. "That… is… just… so… hope… l… e… s… s…"

With a flick of light, the screen vanished into black.

All around them the world started cracking, breaking down into blocks of white light and green numbers. The five survivors stood together in a circle, the last bastion of reality left in the collapsing illusionary world.

"Man, it's collapsing…" Akane sighed.

Hinata nodded. "You're right."

Sonia looked around at them nervously. "Um… I am sorry to trouble everyone but… Even if we awake in the real world and forget about what transpired here… it will still have meaning, right?"

Souda smiled, his smile seeming genuinely heartfelt despite his shark like teeth. "Of course, Miss Sonia. I don't know the proper way to say this… but I- I kind of feel the same way too!"

Kuzuryu shot him a mocking smirk. "You're so bad at explaining things… Now that it's the end, you should at least try a little harder."

"People can't change that easily, y'know!" Souda muttered.

"Well, whether it has meaning or not, it all depends on us now…" Kuzuryu replied.

Hinata nodded, looking around at the white expanses of nothingness all around them crept closer and closer. "Time's almost up."

Souda gulped, his knees shaking ever so slightly. "I'm pretty scared."

"I am… scared too…" Sonia whispered.

"But it's ok right? It makes sense to feel scared, right?" said Akane.

"THAT'S THE FUTURE!" bellowed the mini robo-Nidai at her belt.

"Hey! I'll never forget you guys! Or the others!" Souda grinned as they too started to break down into cubes and numbers. "You guys better remember me too! My name is… Kazuichi Souda!"

Kuzuryu chuckled. "Heh, with your colourful personalities, there's no way I'd forget you guys that easily!"

Sonia smiled, pumping her fist a little as determination filled her face. "Even if I forget… I will use all my might and remember!"

"If you start talkin' weird later, Hajime, I'll beat you up till you turn back to normal!" Akane grinned.

"That's a relief," Hinata laughed, "but make sure you hold back as much as you can."

The break down of their bodies spread more and more, until all that was left in the world of white was Hinata's face. He looked up at the white above him, eyes burning with determination. "So this is the end… But… it's just the beginning. Isn't that right? It doesn't change how scared I am… I can't help but feel scared… so scared, but…"

He closed his eyes, as the last parts of his face broke down. "Thank you… Thank you, Nanami… Phew, I finally said it.

As the last cube of light in the world of white faded, a whisper of a voice replied.

"Me too… Thank you. I'll never forget about you guys… I'll never... ever forget. I'll be cheering for you guys from now on… from somewhere. Cuz… we're friends, after all. "

* * *

"Hey… Can you hear me?"

Slowly Hinata opened his eyes against the harsh light above him. Was this it? Was he back in the real world? How were the others?

"Are you ok? You seem pretty out of it."

The voice was familiar, very familiar. And yet Hinata's mind was so damn foggy at the moment. Couldn't someone turn that damn light off? You'd think it'd be common sense not to shine bright lights at someone who's just woken up from sleeping for over a week! Some small part of his mind had turned cold at the sound of the voice, but Hinata was too disorientated to tell why.

"To be honest, I'm also… No, everyone else feels the same too."

As the voice spoke again, Hinata's brain finally clicked on. That voice… was that? No… it couldn't be!

"Since we suddenly got put in this weird situation."

Hajime looked up, eyes fighting against the light. He could only make out a silhouette, but with every passing second it became more and more defined. Long, messy hair sticking out in all directions… a thin physique covered by a jacket…

"… Hey, are you listening?"

Colour began to fill the silhouette, turning the messy hair into a pale white and the jacket into a dark brown. His blood turned cold in his veins as he made out the all too familiar face, thin and pale that was now pulled into an expression of concern.

There was no way, no way! It wasn't possible! He'd seen him dead! Participated in the trial to discover his murderer. _He_ should be gone, he shouldn't be here! Unless Junko had lied, unless dying in the simulation hadn't put them into a coma after all! It couldn't be, there was no way… and yet as his head cleared Hinata couldn't deny that the person kneeling before him was without a doubt…

"K- Komaeda?"


	2. Kamukura Time

"K-Komaeda?"

The word came out as an unrecognisable murmur thanks to Hinata's current disorientation, and so thankfully the luckster didn't hear him. The white haired boy helped him sit up, is face etched with worry. "Hey, are you sure you're ok?"

What was going on? Was that really Komaeda? How was that possible? As his head started to clear Hinata noticed something else; the white sandy beach, crystal blue ocean and soft tropical wind brushing his skin was all too familiar.

"But this is… how are we… island…" he mumbled.

Wasn't he supposed to be in a pod? Or a hospital bed if it took him a while to wake up? The first thing he'd want to see when he woke up was his friends, surely the Future Foundation would have guessed that? Then why on earth had they dumped him on a beach with…

"Yeah, you're right." Said Komaeda, crouching down next to him. "That rabbit said something about this being a school trip."

Instantly Hinata's attention snapped back to the boy who should, without a doubt, be dead crouching besides him. Komaeda had woken up then? Did that mean the others had woken up too? That Enoshima had been lying?

" _No,_ " whispered a faint voice in the back of his head, _"his hand."_

Still too out of it to consider the voice in his head, Hinata glanced over to Komaeda's hand. It was normal, nothing unusual about it, at that was the problem. Komaeda had chopped his own hand off so that he could attach Junko's on in its place, and yet right now there wasn't even a scar around the wrist to show that such an operation had occurred. Heck Komaeda didn't look as haggard as a despair fetishizing maniac should in general, but then again he had always looked rather pale and thin so perhaps he just couldn't really look much worse.

What was this thing then if not Komaeda? Was it just a fake? Suddenly a thought ran through his head that turned his blood to ice. Hadn't one of Junko's options been that they could remain in the simulation forever? That they could live with AI versions of their friends until they died? Is that what was going on here? Was he still in the simulation? Oh god no! They were supposed to have gotten out!

"Um… is there something on my face?" Komaeda chuckled nervously. "You've been staring at me as if you've seen a ghost."

"K- Komaeda? Is it you?" Hinata asked shakily. "Are you real?"

The luckster looked at him in confusion. "Huh? You know my name? We haven't met before have we? No of course not, if a piece of trash like me was fortunate enough to hold a conversation with an Ultimate I'm sure I would have remembered it."

Suddenly Hinata felt the urge to puke. Maybe it was the way his head was swimming, maybe it was seeing the ghost of his dead classmate act like his usual self-deprecating self, or maybe it was a mix of both but suddenly he couldn't stand to be in Komaeda's presence any longer.

"Leave me alone." He whispered.

Komaeda gave him a look of concern again. "Th- There's no way I can leave someone alone when they look that pale…"

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" Hinata roared, louder than he'd intended. Komaeda flinched, taking a step away from him.

"W- Well… if you're sure." Slowly he started to walk away. "Everyone else has already gone off to explore the island. When you're feeling alright you should have a wander around, introduce yourself to everyone." He gave him one last worrying look. "See you later."

As soon as he was out of sight Hinata stood up, legs shaking from the effort, and stumbled over to the ocean where he suddenly retched. Though there wasn't much of it the acrid bile left a sour sting in his throat, and despite its salty taste Hinata scooped up a few handful of ocean water to clean his mouth.

As his nausea started to pass Hinata collapsed onto his hands and knees, not even noticing them getting soaked by the water, and took some more deep breaths. When it was finally bearable Hinata opened his eyes again and froze at the sight before him.

The reflection in the water staring back at him was him, undoubtedly him, but with a difference. A thin streak of the hair above his right eye had turned a bright white colour. And as for the right eye itself…

It was red.

Flashes of memories, his but not his at the same time, flowed through his head. Him, standing in front of a mirror with his ridiculously long black hair flowing all around him and those cold red eyes staring out from a blank, expressionless face.

" _So you've finally noticed then?"_ whispered a disinterested voice in the back of his mind.

If he wasn't still slightly out of it Hinata would have screamed as his reflection in the water morphed in front of his eyes. A black suit faded in over his white shirt, his hair grew out longer like tendrils of shadows, and his expression lost all traces of pity.

Kamukura Izuru stared back at him from the ocean.

Except he wasn't quite the same, at least not entirely. His left eye remained the same muddy brown colour as Hinata's, and although the patch of hair above it grew as long as the rest it was the same white colour as Hinata's streak. Despite the ominous change in reflection though Hinata could see that his own appearance hadn't changed, his hair was still tidy and (relatively) normal.

" _About time you noticed me."_ Kamukura drawled, his voice strangely distorted and way too familiar for Hinata's liking. _"It was boring waiting for you. You're very slow, you know."_

"What's going on! How are you… what are you…" Hinata stuttered.

" _What am I? I'm you, of course."_ Kamukura replied. _"I always have been, and always will be, you. There is no escaping that, no hiding from it."_

"But how are you… in the water?"

Kamukura sighed wearily. _"I'm not actually in the water, you should know that. Right now I am appearing as a hallucination, a mirage if you will. To anyone else it would look like you're talking to yourself."_

How could that be? Why? He'd never seen Kamukura before, heck he hadn't even realized that he _was_ Kamukura until a little while ago (at least from his point of view).

As if he had heard them, Kamukura responded to his thoughts. _"I can't say for certain without further research and experimentation, but I would theorise that currently we seem to be suffering from a form of multiple personality disorder."_ For a split second something unrecognisable (interest perhaps?) flickered across his face. _"During that final battle against Enoshima you recognised and accepted that you and me are one and the same, and thus for a few minutes you could say that we merged together. You were able to keep your memories, your personality, whilst at the same time accessing the many talents that comprise me. You wouldn't have noticed at the time, but your eyes went red and your hair did a strange super saiyan thing due to the computer recognising your increased mental processing and updating your avatar accordingly. However the problem with that event is that it was, by all scientific means, impossible. There simply isn't enough room for both your personality and memories as well as my talents in your conscious mind, so how on earth we were able to obtain that state is something even I cannot fathom."_

Then the interest faded, and the Ultimate… everything's face returned to its usual blank expression. _"However whatever happened to merge us together could not last forever, and it seems that falling unconscious was the trigger to separate us again. Now that you have recognised me, accepted me, I cannot simply be locked away again in the unconscious, yet on the other hand you cannot be locked away in the subconscious again either. Since permanently unifying us is impossible, but locking one of us away is equally futile, then our brain has avoided destroying itself by manifesting us as two separate consciousness's that can rotate between taking control of the body and watching from the subconscious at will."_

Hinata stared blankly at the reflection, turning over the words in his mind until he was finally able to make sense of them. "So we're both awake now, and both sharing my body, but only one of us can control it at a time and the other has to sit and watch."

" _ **Our**_ _body, and to put it simply think of it as two people in a car, with one person driving and the other in the passenger's seat. While one of them drives the other one watches, but at any time on the journey they can swap places. There's not enough room in the driver's seat for them both to sit there, and if they both tried to drive at once they'd end up crashing."_

Suddenly a terrible thought hit Hinata. "You're not going to try and take over my body are you? I won't let you!"

" _Oh? You think you could actually stop me?"_ Kamukura replied dispassionately. _"I'll admit that your consciousness is strong enough to prove a little troublesome but don't forget that I am a being comprised purely of talent,_ _ **if**_ _I wanted to take control there would be nothing you could do to stop me."_

"If?" Hinata replied, confused. "You don't want to drive?"

" _What would be the point?"_ Kamukura replied. _"Whether I drive or not nothing interesting is going to happen, I'll be bored either way. Unless I see a chance to entertain myself it would be pointless for me to drive."_

"I- I see…" Hinata muttered. His head was swimming with questions, questions he desperately needed answering, but he took his time to organise his thoughts before posing his next question to Izuru.

"Why is my eye red?"

" _For the same reason that mine is brown."_ Kamukura replied. _"Our minds may be divided now but for a brief moment they were united, working in conjunction with each other for the first time since the Hope Cultivation Plan. Although we are mostly separate now our minds still share a thin link to each other, a link I doubt can ever be broken, and that link is confusing the simulation slightly. Since you are driving, but the simulation senses a little bit of me present, it is displaying you with my right eye to account for this. It has also given you that thin streak of white hair to represent the bond itself, as that is what colour our hair was when we were fused."_

"That's… a little bit weird really." Hinata said.

" _Quite."_

"But if that's true then we really are still stuck in the simulation! That Komaeda really was fake! Junko won!"

" _No, that is not true."_ Kamukura interrupted before Hinata could start panicking again. _"We are back in the simulation, yes, but that was definitely the real Komaeda just now. I have met him enough times to completely understand every single aspect of his being, and if an AI were to try and pretend to be him I would notice immediately."_

"Yo- You understand every aspect of his being?" Hinata gasped. "How did you manage that?"

" _I looked at him the first time I met him, that was all it took."_ Kamukura replied blankly. _"I can read people better than any gambler and analyse them better than any psychoanalyst. Besides, I can spot an AI a mile away, they have a few tell-tale signs. If you'd looked closer even you could have realised what miss Nanami was far earlier."_

Those words knocked the wind out of Hinata like a sack full of bricks to the stomach. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it sooner! If this was the same simulation then somewhere around here should be…

" _Calm down!_ " Kamukura instructed both firmly and disinterestedly at the same time. _"It is likely that miss Nanami will be in this simulation, true, however we cannot say in what state since the current circumstances of our return to this simulation are unknown. The most likely scenario I can come up with right now for everything happening here is that the simulation was reset, prompting the minds of your comatose classmates to be released again without their memories of the previous simulation. If this is the case you, as well as the four others who survived, should be able to remember the events of the last simulation. However miss Nanami…"_

Worry wormed its way into Hinata's heart. "What about her?"

" _If this is indeed a second attempt at the previous simulation then it is safe to assume that all the data of the corrupted simulation has been deleted. Therefore it is likely, very likely, that miss Nanami will not remember the events of the previous simulation. Technically speaking she'd be a completely different entity from the Nanami you know altogether, albeit with the same name, personality and appearance. Although then again she was never really real in the first place."_

That thought, more than anything else since he woke up, filled Hinata with dread. No! No that couldn't be! Not Nanami! He'd watched her die, mourned for her, and said his goodbyes at the end of the last simulation. If she was alive that was fantastic, really fantasic! But to think that she would forget about him…

It hurt.

" _What are you doing?"_ Kamukura asked idly as Hinata stood up and marched determinedly across the beach.

"Isn't it obvious, I'm going to find her."

No sooner had he said that than a cold, numb feeling spread throughout his body, and Hinata suddenly found himself unable to control his limbs. He could only watch helplessly through his own eyes as the hair on his head suddenly grew down to his knees in seconds and turned dark black. Lazily Kamukura walked back down to the ocean, crouching at the edge of the water to look at the shocked and confused expression on Hinata's face staring back at him in place of his reflection.

" _What is this? What did you do?"_ Reflection Hinata asked.

"I switched into the driver's seat. Told you it would be easy." Kamukura replied. "You need to calm down Hinata, acting stupid might just get us both killed."

" _What are you talking about? Why would finding Nanami get us killed."_ Hinata asked. He was clearly impatient and trying to wrestle control back from Kamukura, but the Ultimate Despair would have none of it.

"I told you that the most likely scenario I could come up with is that the simulation was reset, however although it's the most likely scenario the chance of it being true is less than 4%. The end result of the last simulation was the best one the Future Foundation could make considering the circumstances, and it is highly improbable to believe that they would choose to replay the simulation again after the disaster of last time in an attempt to save your comatose friends that may not even work. I cannot think of a reason why this is happening that's more that 5% likely to be true, and that's **me** we're talking about. To put it bluntly I **don't know** what is happening."

Reflection Hinata looked shocked. _"Even you don't know!"_

The edge of Kamukura's mouth twitched slightly. "Indeed. Interesting, isn't it?"

" _So if we don't know what's going on what makes you think finding Nanami will get us killed?"_

"It's not so much finding her as what you'll say to her that'll put us in danger. Let's say this simulation is currently under the control of Junko, and that she can see all that takes place on this island. What do you think she'll do if she sees you running around telling all the unaware people that they're in a simulation?"

Hinata gulped. _"She'll kill us."_

"That's right. And dying would be boring, so let's not do that." Kamukura drawled. "Luckily for you this little stretch of beach is one of the fourteen blind spots in this simulation, I subconsciously guided you over to it when you were about to be sick, so no one will have heard what we've been talking about. Until we know what's going on we need to act natural and subtly fish around for clues about who remembers what, why we're back here and what's going on."

It made sense, Hinata realised. Drawing attention to himself in an unknown and potentially dangerous situation could well get him killed. If he found the others he could easily find out who remembered him with a few subtle questions, and by letting events play out he would soon learn if this simulation was corrupted by Junko as well, or even what on earth he was doing back here. Seeming to read his thought Kamukura stood up again.

"Are you ready to take control again?"

" _Yeah."_

"Good." Kamukura closed his eyes, and slowly the long black hair slunk back into his head, turning into a light shade of brown. When the eyes opened again, Hinata was in control.

" _Now go, find out what's going on. And try to act natural."_

"Okay okay, got it." Hinata mumbled. He made to walk out of blind spot, but stopped at the last second. "Hey Kamukura, one more thing."

" _What is it?"_

"Why are you doing this? Why are you being so…"

" _Helpful?"_

"Yes. You're a member of ultimate despair, and you tried to get me to give in to despair at our last confrontation. Why are you working with me now?"

" _Do not get me wrong Hinata, I still am the Ultimate Despair and intend to be so forever more. However my despair comes from the fact that to me everything is boring, there is nothing I cannot do effortlessly and so nothing to make my life worth living. Therefor I do not care so much for despair as I do for entertainment. This situation we have found ourselves in, however, is something I do not understand, and I feel entertained at the notion of discovering what has happened to us. Therefor for the sake of uncovering this mystery I will work with you, my other half. However know this, the moment I find a way to entertain myself, whether with Junko or not, I will take it. You'd better prepare yourself for that."_

Hinata scowled. The threat was said in such a blasé way it was unimaginably condescending, however he had more important things to do right now that worry about how to lock away Kamukura.

"Perhaps then, one day, I'll find a way to save you from despair too."

" _Don't count on it."_

With that Hinata took a step out of the blind spot, and towards the rest of the island.


	3. Squishin' Bugs and Transformin' Chickens

_Wow! I've gotten some awesome reviews from you guys for this fic already. I guess there's been a long wait for a fic about this huh? Thank you all for your kind reviews. Every time I get a notification about a new review it fills me with excitement, and gives me that push to get writing that's so valuable for authors._

 _Oh and don't worry 'Light' I'll be updating One Piece: King's Road soon. I don't want to rush it though, I want it to be the best story I can possibly write. And besides, when the plot bunny comes knockin' there no stopin', and he's been standing outside my door with this fic for a long time._

 _Oh one more thing. Though I have a basic direction I want this story to go in I figured that since this is the first story of its kind you guys might want to see certain things in it, so if you do write it down in the reviews and I'll consider putting it in. Although the pairing is definitely going to be Hinata X Nanami I was considering having someone else develop a crush on Hinata this time as well, maybe Koizumi or Mikan, hell maybe even_ _ **everyone!**_ _What do you guys think?_

 _Well that's all from me. Enjoy the new chapter._

* * *

No sooner had Hinata taken a step out of the blind spot than a high pitched cutesy voice piped up from beside him.

"Hinata! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Hinata jumped a little as Usami appeared out of nowhere besides him. "I got so worried when you passed out, but I couldn't leave all the others to go off unsupervised at such a tender time so I… Eek! Hinata! Y- Your eye! What happened?"

" _Feign ignorance."_ Kamukura whispered. _"You didn't have a red eye in the fake classroom, and there's no good way to explain suddenly having heterochromia. Act like you don't know what she's talking about."_

"R- Red eye? What are you talking about?" Hinata replied a little nervously. "Maybe I hit it on something when I fell unconscious?"

"Y-Yeah I suppose that must be it." Said Usami. "By the way, if you plan on exploring the island you might want to have a look at your e-Handbook. It's in your pocket."

Pretending to be surprised, Hinata stuck his hand into his pocket and dug out the all too familiar handbook. "This is… a handbook?"

"Don't you think it's cool? That handbook is absolutely vital for the school trip, so don't lose it!"

"This device is that important? Why?"

Usami leapt into the air and twirled around, an aura of happiness radiating from her like a lighthouse. "I've asked everyone to use their e-handbooks to gather all the Hope Fragments!"

The word 'Hope' sent some mixed feelings swirling around uncomfortably in Hinata's stomach, but he kept his expression as neutral as he could. "…Hope Fragments?"

"On this island you'll obtain Hope Fragments as you get along with your classmates. As your relationship with everyone improves, you'll be able to gather more and more Hope Fragments!" A dreamy expression crossed her face (at least that's what Hinata thought it was, it was hard to tell coming from the face of a rabbit). "Gather Hope Fragments so that the flower of hope achieves its full bloom. Truly that is the main purpose of this school trip! Love Love!"

As quickly as she'd come Usami suddenly leapt out of Hinata's line of sight and disappeared completely. Had she always been this… sickeningly cutesy? For the majority of the time he'd known her Usami had been Monomi, the depressed and slightly annoying sister of Monokuma, so he found it hard to remember how he had initially felt about her the first time he did this. Still in the end it had been Usami who had come to help them fight Enoshima, and for that Hinata would be eternally grateful. Perhaps this time around he'd try being a little nicer to their AI teacher.

" _And I suppose the fact that Miss Nanami would most certainly like you better if you were nicer to Usami has nothing to do with that decision."_ Kamukura drawled sarcastically, causing Hinata's cheeks to heat up a little.

"Oh shut up." Hinata whispered to… himself? Kamukura? This whole split personality deal was more of a headache than movies made it out to be, literally. Hinata took a second to 'browse' the e-handbook, pretending that he was reading the rules and other such things for the first time to allay suspicion from anyone who might be watching, then continued on to the rest of the island.

* * *

The first place he came across was "Usami Corral", the rustic looking farmhouse with a toucan perched on the fench by the entrance. From a distance Hinata could see a little girl with a familiar pair of large blonde pigtails pointedly poking about on the ground.

"Aww… you found it."

Once again Hinata jumped a little as Usami appeared, as if by magic, at his side. (Seriously! What was it with miniature intelligent animal things and sneaking up on people?) "You again! Seriously, where do you keep appearing from?"

Usami gave her wings a cheerful little flutter. "I can show up anywhere, anytime! The system allows me to appear anywhere on the island. It's all thanks to this handy-dandy magic stick!"

Handy-dandy indeed! The thing could conjure up giant technicolour laser swords! Still Hinata let a look of scepticism across his face.

"Hmm… still, I am quite troubled…" Usami murmured. "A ranch without any moo-cows is like a soccer team without any balls." She raised her wand into the air. "All righty! Just leave it to me and my handy-dandy magic stick!"

She pointed the wand at the lone chicken wandering the grounds, and from all around balls of pink light appeared from thin air and gathered around the chicken. "Bibidi bobidi! Bibidi bobidi! Bibidibibidi bobidibobidi!" Usami chanted as the chicken began to shake rather violently. It occurred to Hinata that this scene, despite all the cutesy pink lights, was really messed up.

"Bu! Turn into a moo-cow!" Usami shouted.

In what could only be described as a (rather painful looking) explosion of pink light the chicken was gone, replaced with a large cow. Despite its sudden transformation the cow remained where it was, chewing happily on a piece of grass, apparently unfazed.

" _Well it is just a string of data, it's not really there."_ Kamukura whispered. _"How did you not realise something was wrong the first time around after seeing that?"_

" _There was kind of a lot of other things to think about at the time, and besides Komaeda assured me it was an illusion of some kind. Sorry we can't all be geniuses Mr I'm-so-good-at-everything."_ Hinata thought back, hoping that thinking it would be enough for Kamukura to hear. Though there was no reply in words, a feeling of bored condescension registered briefly somewhere in the back of his conscience.

"Harumph! A huge success!" Usami cheered before disappearing again, leaving Hinata to stare vacantly at the cow. After giving an oh-my-god-I've-had-enough-of-this-shit-already sigh Hinata continued his walk into the ranch.

Happily running about squishing the ants was the groups resident cute little psychopath Saionji Hiyoko, her face a picture of innocent glee as she forced one of the insect's organs to come shooting out of its own behind. After briefly wondering why on earth he was putting himself through this again, Hinata walked up to her to engage in conversation.

"Squish! Squish!" Saionji cheered to herself as another ant fell victim to her finger of doom. Hinata came up to the side of her and gave her a friendly smile. "Um, are you okay? I haven't introduced myself, right? My name is Hinata Hajime…"

 _She's tied to the pillar, her small frame easily lifted off the floor. Trickling down her body is the blood, so much blood, pouring out from the cut in her neck like a waterfall. How was it possible for someone so small to contain so much blood? Her face, calm and expressionless for the first time since he'd met her, has lost the rosy tint of life and looks so cold as it lolls forwards weakly…_

"Hmmm? I'm Saionji Hiyoko." She replied pleasantly before returning to crushing the ants with her finger. "Squish! Squish!" It was a good thing she did too, or she'd have noticed how pale Hinata's face had suddenly gone. His hands trembled slightly as Hinata fought to keep back the wave of nausea that suddenly hit him.

" _Calm down Hinata. Calm down."_ Kamukura whispered in the depths of his mind, his bland voice oddly soothing in this situation. Within a few seconds Hinata's nausea was regressed to a manageable state again (was one of Kamukura's talents ultimate comforter or something? Hinata added that to the long list of questions he wanted to ask him) and he dragged his focus back onto the conversation.

"Hey, what exactly are you doing?" He asked, struggling to keep the grimace off of his face.

"Hmm? I'm squishing!"

"Squishing what?"

"Mr Ant, of course. I'm squishing lots of Mr Ant's." Her face took on the rather sadistic expression that Mikan would soon become all too familiar with.

" _Are we_ _ **sure**_ _she's lost her memories of being an Ultimate Despair?_ Kamukura asked.

"If you squish their tummies just right, it makes this awesome sound."

" _That would be the sound of their guts and poison glands competing under the pressure to escape out of the anus."_ Kamukura supplied helpfully.

" _Shut up Kamukura!"_ Hinata mentally snapped back.

Hiyoko gave him a sweet smile. "Wanna do it together?"

"Umm… no. I'm good thanks." Hinata sweat-dropped.

"Aww, okay." She responded with a pout, then gave a condescending smirk to the side and whispered "Hmph, you wuss..."

" _You should do it Hinata, they're just computer programs. It'll be a good bonding activity."_ Kamukura drawled. _"Tell her that if you squeeze them from both sides their bottoms explode like volcano…"_

" _Didn't I tell you to shut up!"_ Hinata replied.

A beeping noise sounded from his pocket, and Hinata pulled out his e-handbook which appeared to be the cause of it. A single message was flashing along the screen. 'Hope Fragment Obtained'.

Wait…what? He obtained a Hope Fragment from refusing to squash ants with her? Hinata didn't know who wrote the programming for awarding Hope Fragments but they deserved a kick up the backside, preferably from the ultimate soccer player.

After leaving Saionji to her… genocide… Hinata took a moment to reach a safe distance and take a couple of breaths to calm himself. It hurt, hurt more than he could have possibly imagined. He could barely look at her without seeing the image of her lifeless body superimposed onto his vision. In fact if it hadn't been for Kamukura making those rather distracting remarks he didn't think he could have… wait a minute…

" _Kamukura! Were you saying all of those things just now to keep my mind off of remembering her from the first time?"_

He received no reply.

"Smarmy bastard…" Hinata mumbled to himself.

Once his stomach didn't feel like a concrete mixer he approached the other student at the ranch, the voluptuous ultimate gymnast Akane Owari. No sooner had he gotten within a few steps of her than she turned around, her usual thousand watt grin threatening to break her face, and held out a hand to him. "Heeeey! Who're you, dude?"

" _If you start talkin' weird later, Hajime, I'll beat you up till you turn back to normal!" Akane grinned. Despite the world collapsing around them the only thing she and the others could look at was each other, their friendship tighter than ever as the unknown swept closer and closer towards them. "That's a relief," Hinata laughed, "but make sure you hold back as much as you can."_

Hinata faltered, a lump caught in his throat. Did she not remember him? _Really_ not remember him? The ones who had died the first time around he could understand, after all remembering might send them into a coma if Kamukura's theory was correct. But Akane was a survivor, just like him. Surely if he could remember the first simulation so could she.

" _Don't do anything rash Hinata, just act natural."_ Kamukura warned.

"It's nice to meet you… I'm Hajime Hinata." He replied, emphasising his name in hopes that she might remember or, if she was pretending to be experiencing things for the first time just like him, catch on to his meaning.

"Gotcha" she replied with a grin, causing Hinata's heart to sink. There was no indication, none at all, that she had recognised his name or even him in any way at all. "Hagime Hitana right? Yo! The name's Akane Owari! Nice to meetcha! Nice hair by the way, looks trendy!"

"Umm, no… it's Hinata. Hajime Hinata." He corrected, emphasising his name again in hopes of a miracle.

"Oh, haha! I'm sorry! I pretty much suck at rememberin' names, and I've met so many interestin' characters today." Akane laughed. At that moment Hinata's heart felt like it had been put in a live blender full of razor blades. In the final days last time Akane had remember his name and everyone else's, showing how much they'd meant to her that she knew them almost instinctually. But this Akane now was looking at him as if she'd never met him before, which he supposed in her eyes might well be the case.

Ironically at that moment, as he felt the crushing blender of despair tear up his heart, his e-handbook beeped to inform him that he'd obtained another Hope Fragment.

The ultimate soccer player wearing a spiky steel boot! And pumped up on steroids!…

Akane had seemed to lose interest in him at this point, and had wandered off to explore the rest of the ranch with a "see ya later Tomati!" Hinata stood still as ice for a few seconds, feeling the hand of despair root around in his heart.

" _So she didn't remember either huh? Interesting…"_ Kamukura muttered. _"This complicates matters more than I thought."_

" _So the restarted simulation theory isn't true? What the hell_ _ **is**_ _happening then?"_ Hinata mentally groaned, feeling the urge to bury his head in his hands and try to wake himself up from whatever nightmare he must be in.

" _That's not quite true. The restarted simulation theory still holds the most weight; it's just more complicated that I initially thought."_ Kamukura replied. _"Maybe for the simulation to restart all of our memories were supposed to be erased, but due to our newfound mental bond our strength of mind was enough to resist the process and thus only we can remember that the simulation was restarted. If that is the case then there is a chance that one of the other survivors with particularly high mental strength has also retained their memories, after all Akane never was the brightest bulb in the bunch. I wouldn't get your hopes up though; our bond makes us by far the strongest intellect on this island. I doubt anyone else could compare."_

" _Even so… if there's the slightest chance I have to keep looking!"_

Kamukura sighed. _"Do as you will."_

Still reeling from the despair in his heart, but focusing on the slim hope that someone else would remember him, Hinata made his way out of the ranch to another part of the island.


	4. Everybody Loves Nidai

The next area Hinata arrived at was the hotel, the expensive looking building that served as the groups defacto HQ the last time around due to the food being served there and it's close proximity to their cabins. He gave the place a quick once over to satisfy anyone who might be watching him, then went over to talk to the large figure exploring near the edge of the pool.

Nekomaru Nidai.

 _It was an unspoken fact, but a fact nonetheless, that Nekomaru Nidai was invincible. The guy was solid muscle, with an iron will and a practical mind that made him strong in every sense of the word. Heck the guy was blown up by a bazooka and still survived, nothing could kill him._

 _And yet there he was, fractured into pieces all over the elevator floor. Much like a disassembled toy the head of the man who'd supported and believed in everyone no matter what lay inactive merely a few steps away from him. There were so many emotions running around inside him; anger, guilt, grief, but one of them took priority over them all._

 _Relief._

 _Because now, with one of them dead, he could finally eat._

The nausea came back again, but now that he was expecting it Hinata was able to steel himself. By the time he had reached Nidai the mental images of the day they found his corpse had all but faded from his mind, and he could at least focus on acting like he didn't know him.

"Hmm! That's right, you haven't told me your name!" Nidai bellowed at Hinata as he noticed his approach. He banged a fist to his chest, standing straight as he flashed one of his excessively confident grins at him. "I am the ultimate team manager, Nekomaru Nidai!"

From what he could remember, the first time he'd met Nidai the ultimate team manager hadn't been impressed by his rather subdued greeting, despite inadvertently being the cause of it. However this time things would be different. Nidai had been a valued friend; always looking out for them and helping them reach their full potential. If he could help it Hinata wanted to be good friends with Nidai again as soon as possible.

"My name is Hajime Hinata! Please to make your acquaintance!" he bellowed back, matching Nidai's grin with one of his own. Nidai gave a nod of approval.

"Good good! That's a nice strong voice you have there!" He gave a short, roaring laugh. "Very well, I agree to your terms!"

Hinata didn't know what he meant by that, but decided to roll with it.

"I hope we can be friends from now on Nidai!"

"Gah-hahaha! I hope so too! I can tell that there is great potential resting within you!" He gave Hinata a quick look over. "Tell me, is your talent sports related?"

"Well no I um… I don't remember." Hinata smoothly lied. "My memories are pretty foggy. I don't seem to have woken up too well."

"Aha, I see! Well when you remember it there's something I'd like you to do for me."

"What's that?"

"Give me your body."

"W-What!?" Hinata cried. He didn't remember _this_ happening the first time around.

Without a word Nidai suddenly started patting Hinata down all over his body. Despite the obvious breach of personal boundaries Hinata stood still as the ultimate manager roamed his hands over various parts of his body. It really didn't help that Nidai was quietly muttering and groaning under his breath.

"Aha, just as I thought!" Nidai proclaimed as he backed off again, leaving Hinata feeling slightly violated. "I don't think your talent is anything sports related, since your body isn't toned enough in any particular area. However you will become an amazing athlete if you train yourself."

"Umm… What?"

"You must have been born with good bone structure." Nidai continued, stroking his beard in thought. "We'll need to change your diet, bulk up your muscle mass…"

"Wait, hold on! What are you talking about!" Hinata cried. This was seriously confusing him. "You're saying I'd make a good athlete?"

"Of course!" Nidai bellowed, bursting into another round of hearty laughter. "If you'd be interested in something like that come see me any time. I'll make an athlete out of you yet!"

A beeping from Hinata's e-handbook informed him that another Hope Fragment had been obtained. After a very loud goodbye from Nidai, Hinata took a minute to reflect on what he'd heard. I wasn't the same conversation as last time, but he was sure he'd had a conversation with Nidai like that at some point…

Oh right! That was it! There was that time Nidai had talked to him about making him a rugby player! How had he forgotten that? Was he so caught up in the bad memories, the ones of despair and death, that he'd forgotten the fun times they'd had!

Damn, he needed to cheer up. After everything he'd done the first time around it wouldn't do for him to wallow in despair all the time! With that thought in mind he continued on to the other side of the pool, where a girl with strawberry red hair was taking photographs of the flowerbed.

 _They say that the first murder is supposed to be the hardest, the one that haunts your nightmares the most for the rest of your life._

 _They're wrong._

 _Because when he saw Koizumi laying there, the blood slowly dribbling down her head and splattered all over the baseball bat, he realised something._

 _That it wasn't just Komaeda they had to worry about. That even without him, the murders were never going to stop._

 _That they really couldn't trust each other._

"Hey, aren't you the guy who was squatting on the beach earlier and burying your face in your arms?"

Before he could get a chance to shake himself out of his thoughts, the voice pitched up very close in front of him and caused him to jump. Apparently Koizumi had spotted him while he was daydreaming and decided to come to him, and judging by the look on her face she wasn't particularly impressed with him.

"You gotta keep it together you know. At times like this it's the boys job to keep the girls safe. You can't exactly do that if you're spaced out half the time."

"Y- Yeah, you're right." He stuttered out, still slightly thrown from her sudden appearance.

Koizumi sighed, putting her hands on her hips and frowning. "Did you want me to introduce myself? I haven't done it yet, right?" Her frown disappeared, turning up into a gentle smile. "Let's see… I'm Mahiru Koizumi. I'll be counting on you from now on."

"I'm Hinata. Hajime Hinata." He replied.

"Well then nice to meet you Hajime. Honestly, I'm a little relieved. You seem decent enough."

"Hmm? Decent?"

Her smile faltered a little. "Well there's a lot of weirdo's here. I can't tell if they're really Ultimates or, like, just insane."

Hinata grinned. "I know what you mean. Everyone does seem a little on the eccentric side."

" _Not sure if you're one to talk, bearing in mind that I'm floating around in your head."_ Kamukura whispered.

Koizumi seemed to brighten up at his reply. "Yeah, you get it right? I mean I'm eager to get along with everybody so we can get off this island, but I was worried things wouldn't go well."

"That's right, Usami said we can get off this island if we collect all the Hope Fragments, right?" Hinata said, acting like he didn't already know.

"Yep, and the sooner we get out of here the better." Koizumi gave him a little wave. "Well I'm going to go do some more exploring. Try and be more reliable all right, I don't want to have to nickname you unreliable Hajime ok?"

"A- Alright. See you around." Hinata replied as she left. Once again his e-handbook informed him that he'd earned another Hope Fragment.

The only other person around this area he hadn't talked to was the baby faced gangster with the terrible temper, Kuzuryu Fuhuyiko. Holding onto a thin shred of hope that this time the previous survivor would remember him, Hinata made his way over to the blonde haired boy.

 _A lot of people talk about how they're going to change, to suddenly go back on their wicked ways and turn over a new leaf as if it was as simple as flicking on a light switch. So when Kuzuryu, by far the most foul tempered of all of them, announced he was going to make amends and become a better man there was still some doubt from everyone despite the lengths he went to when announcing it._

 _They had been wrong to doubt him._

 _By the time the end had come Kuzuryu was a completely different person. It wasn't that he'd tried to plaster a fake personality onto himself like some others did, he was still the same boy he'd always been, but in everything he did he tried as hard as he could to prove his sincerity, to get along with everyone and be a part of the team. There was a certain sense of pride one got from watching him, to see how much the once rude and angry boy had grown in only a few days was nothing short of heart-warming. And as the world collapsed around them and Hinata looked at their determined faces one by one, the grin on Kuzuryu's face reminded him of the time in Kuzuryu's room when the two of them had sat together and exchanged Brotherhood Cup's filled with water._

" _Don't think about it too much. This isn't making us real brothers or anything." Kuzuryu said half-jokingly. Suddenly his face became serious, and the resolve Hinata saw burning in his one good eye was like staring into the sun. "This is a promise to return alive… together!"_

Kuzuryu noticed him as Hinata approached, and a deep scowl morphed across his childlike face. "Who the hell are you? Don't talk all friendly and shit to me, dumbass!"

Those few words were like a slap to the face for Hinata. Not only did he not remember him then, not remember all the times, good and bad, they'd spent laughing and struggling together, but he'd also forgotten the promise he'd made to himself and Pekoyama's memory. He was just like he used to be, rude and standoffish. It was as if all the progress he'd made had been for nothing.

Hinata felt a strange, burning anger well up inside of him.

"What're you looking at!? You got something you wanna say, bastard!?" Kuzuryu growled.

"Yeah, I do actually!" Hinata snapped back, surprised by how vicious his own voice sounded. "There's no need to act so rude! I was just coming to introduce myself!"

"You trying to start something bastard!" Kuzuryu shouted, getting up in his face. "Let's make sure we've got one thing clear here, okay!? I don't plan on acting all friendly and shit with you guys! Being stuck on an island with 15 assholes is bad enough without me having to talk to them!" He stepped away from Hinata and started walking back to the pool. "The name's Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko. Now if you're done here why don't you make like a tree and fuck off!"

More upset than he'd care to admit by Kuzuryu's behaviour, Hinata decided to walk off without a word. What had kick-started Kuzuryu's desire to change last time, to finally grow up, was Pekoyama's death. But if things stayed true to their original course, if the simulation turned into a death game once again, then there was no way Hinata was going to sit by and let his friends die again. He'd do everything in his power to ensure that Pekoyama would never murder Koizumi, and that in turn could mean that the Kuzuryu he'd become such great friends with would never exist. In a sense the boy he'd exchanged Brotherhood Cups with was dead.

It was strange how much of a roller-coaster of emotions this day was turning out to be. On the one hand he was ecstatic at seeing his lost friends alive again, and yet at the same time he mourned how these people, who hadn't shared some of the happiest and most painful times of his life together with him, were not the same friends he'd come to love.

Wondering how much more of this his heart could take, Hinata moved on to the next area of the island.


	5. Battle of the Dark Devas

"Let us end this once and for all, Baron of the Howling Forests!"

Hinata smirked, and began chuckling in a way befitting of a supervillain as he covered his face with his hand in a very overdramatic fashion. "Oh? You believe the power of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction is enough to match my power? You may be skilled, Supreme Overlord of Ice, but not skilled enough to stand against my level of power! Arise my faithful servant, Doom Archfiend Souda!"

Souda let out a harrowing snarl that wouldn't have sounded out of place from a wolf as he, on all fours, leapt in front of Hinata. His eyes showed nothing but white, and his body language and behaviour made him seem more like a cross between a zombie and a mad dog as he bared his shark-like teeth threateningly at Tanaka.

Tanaka stretched out his arm and shot Hinata an evil smile as the Four Dark Devas of Destruction scurried on to it, hissing at Souda. "This world is mine to conquer Baron! If you will not submit then I shall simply have to destroy you! Supernova Silver Fox San-D, Mirage Golden Hawk Jump-P, Crimson Steel Elephant Maga-Z, Invading Black Dragon Cham-P," the four hamsters radiated a dark, shadowy aura as he called them by name, "now is the time to slay this vile fiend! Attack!"

With the world's most adorable battle cry the four hamsters sprang forwards towards Souda like four evil furry bullets.

"It shall be me that stands victorious today, Ice Overlord, not you!" Hinata cried defiantly. "Doom Archfiend Souda," Souda too released a palpable dark aura as his name was called, "destroy him!"

Souda pounced forward with a vicious howl, running like a panther towards the fast approaching hamsters. As the Dark Devas came in reach he swung his hand towards them like a claw…

How exactly had it come to this?

* * *

The next area Hinata wandered into was the airport, a rather nondescript building that to be honest he didn't really remember playing much of a part in the events that occurred last time. The walk had done him some good, but the sting of Kuzuryu's attitude combined with his memory loss still felt like a physical ache in his chest. Trying his best to put the event out of his mind, Hinata stepped through the airport doors and observed the scene around him.

The airport was a simple, plain grey coloured building kept immaculately clean and mostly comprised of large windows to allow those inside to see the planes outside. The only decorations were the two palm trees in the far corners and the large banner labelled 'Welcome to paradise' hanging from the roof. Only two other people were in the building, the orange jumpsuit clad Souda staring admiringly at the planes outside the window and the moody looking Tanaka leaning in the shadows by the wall.

Hinata walked over to Souda first, coming to a stop beside him and staring out at the airfield behind the window. "Hey, those are airplanes right? Can we use them to leave the island?"

"Nah, that's impossible." He turned to face Hinata with a carefree smile. "If they were damaged I could fix 'em, but it looks like these planes are just for show…"

" _Hey! I'll never forget you guys! Or the others!" Souda grinned as they too started to break down into cubes and numbers. "You guys better remember me too! My name is… Kazuichi Souda!"_

 _Forget? How could he ever forget Souda. It may not have always been for the right reasons, but there was no way anyone could forget a man like him! He was loyal to a fault, sticking by his friends no matter what trouble he dragged them into or danger Monokuma threw at them. Whether it was his misguided attempts to get Sonia to notice him or his crazy ideas to have some fun Souda could always bring a smile to your face._

 _He'd never forget Souda, even if Souda had forgotten him._

"Hey? You alright man?" Souda waved his hand in front of Hinata's face. "Looked like 'ya spaced out there for a second."

He already knew somewhere deep down in his heart that he was setting himself up for disappointment, but despite that Hinata allowed himself to act on the faint flicker of hope still burning in his core. If he gave up without trying how could he look himself in the mirror? "Sorry it's just… have we met somewhere before?"

Souda's bright pink eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I don't think so. You've got a pretty distinctive look about you; I reckon I'd remember if I'd met you before we came here."

Ouch. Still it was better to have made sure. "Ah, must just be my imagination. Sorry you were saying how the planes were just for show?"

Souda sighed and scratched his cheek. "The engines have been completely removed. Nothing I can do about that."

"Completely removed? Whoever brought us to this island must have done that… right? The same person who's controlling that stuffed animal Usami? But who is doing this? And why bring us to this island in the first place? And how did they do it? The more I think about it, the less sense it makes."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me… You and me haven't been introduced yet, right?" Souda said, his mouth forming a perfect 'o' shape that made his whole face resemble a dumbstruck fish as the realisation hit him. "Name's Kazuichi Souda. I'm the Ultimate Mechanic. Nice to meet ya."

Hinata smiled and extended a hand. "Hajime Hinata. I'm afraid I forgot my talent. Nice to meet you too."

Souda grinned. "Yeah, I think… wait, you forgot your talent! Is that even possible?"

Hinata chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "I guess so. I remember standing outside Hope's Peak, but I have no clue what my talent could be. Guess it just slipped my mind."

Souda raised an eyebrow. "Yeesh, talk about a scatterbrain. I didn't think anyone could forget their talent, especially if it was ultimate level. Unless you're like the ultimate forgetful person or something? Is that a talent?"

"Somehow I doubt that. So anyway the planes have had their engines removed? Doesn't that seem pretty strange to you?"

"Yeah it's strange, but it's the acceptable kind of strange you know." Souda replied with a carefree smile. "I mean it's not like we're being forced to do something dangerous or anything. That was mentioned in the safety precautions for this school trip. Remember? The guidelines written in the handbook?"

Oh he knew the guidelines alright. Too bad they didn't stick around for long once Monokuma showed up.

"I guess it's okay if we enjoy our vacation and see how this whole thing plays out, right?" Souda continued. "Heh-heh! If you stare at that strange-looking bunny girl, she might start lookin' pretty cute!"

Well that came out of the left field. Had Souda been so carefree the first time around? The stress of the killing game must have visibly affected him the most. A buzzing in his pocket alerted Hinata that another Hope Fragment had been obtained, so after giving a friendly goodbye to Souda he headed over to the figure of Tanaka lurking in the corner.

 _Despite all the madness that occurred on the island, there was no doubt that nothing Monokuma could throw at them would ever be a match for a single conversation with Tanaka. Whilst the ultimate breeder's way of speaking was loud, overdramatic and confusing as hell it never failed to breathe life into the most mundane of situations, and the way he spoke of magic and demons as if it was the most natural thing in the world made you almost believe it was true._

 _And that was why, as he calmly stood drawing a magic circle in the sand whilst the stampede of animals charged closer and closer towards him, there was that glimmer of hope that somehow his magic would work, that he would somehow defy the laws of reality and escape his execution with his usual self-confident grin._

 _But that hope disappeared in a flash as the bulls smashed into him._

"Stop right there! If you value your life, do not come any closer!" Tanaka yelled, snapping Hinata back to reality. As his shocked mind tried to process what was going on, Tanaka continued.

"I said stay back! Oh very well, I shall accept that courage of yours." He crossed his arms and smirked. "Kehehe, would you like to know my name? Others may see your courage as recklessness, however I welcome it. In honour of your courage I shall reveal to you my name! May you never forget it as long as you live!" He struck an incredibly dramatic pose. "You may call me… GUNDHAM TANAKA! Remember it well, for it is the name that will one day rule this world!"

Yep, that was the same introduction as last time alright. How could he have ever forgotten that speech? He must have just gotten so used to Tanaka's way of talking that it stop registering as weird at some point.

" _You should go along with it,"_ Kamukura whispered from the back of his head. _"Your first impression with him last time didn't go so well because you were too nervous. Don't act so taken aback by it and you might earn some respect from him."_

Tanaka brought his scarf up to cover his mouth and looked away disinterestedly. "Now then, it is my turn to ask questions. Whose master are you? Which tribe did you make your pact with?"

Well in for a penny, in for a pound.

Hinata chuckled darkly. "Fuhahahaha. To think that I would meet a rival for the throne of the earth here of all places." He struck a pose, covering the top half of his face so that only his red eye could be seen poking out between his ring and pinky fingers. "Rejoice, for you stand within the presence of the one who has slain dozens of would-be gods! I am Hajime Hinata, Baron of the Howling Forests of the 6th circle! And I have made a pact with none other than the tribe of… man!"

Kamukura mentally sighed. _"When I said you should go along with it this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."_

"The Baron of the Howling Forests!" Tanaka looked shocked, then his expression morphed into one of steely determination. "I see, you too possess the evil eye! How could I have missed such a malicious presence?" Wait, was he talking about the red eye his fusion with Kamukura had given him? "Yet you claim to have made a pact with man? Ridiculous! Most of mankind has long since turned their backs on the ancient ways! If you truly are a slayer of gods as you so claim then prove it, bring forth a familiar before me now!"

Ah… He hadn't expected that. Should he make an excuse? But if he did so now there was no way Tanaka would ever respect him again.

" _Call Souda over."_ Kamukura whispered.

" _What? Why?"_

" _So I can get you out of this mess. Now stop waiting around and do it."_

"Hey Souda, could you come over here for a sec?" Hinata called out. On the other side of the room Souda turned around and gave him a thumbs-up, then began walking towards them.

"What is this pathetic trickery?" Tanaka scoffed. "Merely bringing him over here is no sign of mastery! Besides he clearly has not a trace of magic in him, he is no familiar!"

"You doubt me Tanaka?" Hinata replied in a melodramatic voice. "Still your scornful tongue and I shall demonstrate to you the power of a true dark being."

"'Sup man, what do ya need?" Souda asked cheerfully as he joined them.

" _Now listen Hinata, go up to him and whisper into his ear the first words that come into your head. I'll be providing the right words to say, so as long as you don't think about it and just say whatever pops into your mind this will work, okay?"_

" _Umm… okay?"_ Hinata mentally replied before leaning into Souda's ear and whispering the first string of sentences that came to mind. At first Souda looked confused, then shocked, then angry, then downright furious! And then suddenly he flicked his head back and started gently convulsing, his body shaking from some unseen force, before abruptly stopping completely still.

Tantalisingly slowly his head started to tilt back down, as did the rest of his body as he moved onto all fours, and faced Tanaka with an expression no man should be capable of making. His eyes had whited over giving him the feel of an undead creature, and yet his tense body language and snarling face was like that of a raging tiger! With a throaty snarl he raised up on his hand and feet like a beast and fixed Tanaka with an inhuman stare.

"What… what manner of pact is this?!" Tanaka gasped, taken aback by the change that had overcome the carefree mechanic. "Without even needing his consent you turned him into a vessel for your unholy power! So much so that it has overwhelmed his feeble mind! Is this the power of the denizens of the 6th circle?"

" _Good question! Kamukura, what the hell did we just do to him?"_ Hinata thought aghast.

" _We brainwashed him. It's easy when you know how."_

" _Brainwashed him! Turn him back! We can't do that to Souda!"_

" _Relax, it's only temporary. He'll come around soon with no idea of what just happened. Besides now you've proven our power to Tanaka."_

" _This isn't what I had in mind!"_

" _Then you shouldn't have acted like Tanaka then should you."_

"Powerful you may be Baron, but this display of power is still nothing before my own!" Tanaka yelled, catching himself and regaining his determination. "Hear me now Baron! I am the Supreme Overlord of Ice, offspring of an angel and a devil, and bound by blood to the Four Dark Devas of Destruction! I have laid claim to this world already and shall begin its destruction and reformation as part of the Tanaka Empire when it pleases me, it is not yours to conquer. Rescind your claim to this realm, or race the wrath of the Dark Devas! There is not enough room for the both of us!"

"A Nephilim thinks he can stand against the one hailed as the Bloodhound Baron?" Hinata smirked. "You are too full of yourself Overlord of Ice! As powerful as the Dark Devas may be, they are not enough to defeat one of my calibre. I will not rescind my claim to this realm, it is you who must retreat."

" _You're getting way too into this Hinata."_ Kamukura sighed.

" _Sorry but… it really is pretty fun talking like this."_

"Very well, if you will not yield then I, Gundham Tanaka, will slay you here and now." Tanaka declared as he adopted a battle pose. "Let us end this once and for all, Baron of the Howling Forests!"

Hinata smirked, and began chuckling in a way befitting of a supervillain as he covered his face with his hand in a very over dramatic fashion. "Oh? You believe the power of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction is enough to match my power? You may be skilled, Supreme Overlord of Ice, but not skilled enough to stand against my level of power! Arise my faithful servant, Doom Archfiend Souda!"

Tanaka stretched out his arm and shot Hinata an evil smile as the Four Dark Devas of Destruction scurried on to it, hissing at Souda. "This world is mine to conquer Baron! If you will not submit then I shall simply have to destroy you! Supernova Silver Fox San-D, Mirage Golden Hawk Jump-P, Crimson Steel Elephant Maga-Z, Invading Black Dragon Cham-P," the four hamsters radiated a dark, shadowy aura as he called them by name, "now is the time to slay this vile fiend! Attack!"

With the world's most adorable battle cry the four hamsters sprang forwards towards Souda like four evil furry bullets.

"It shall be me that stands victorious today, Ice Overlord, not you!" Hinata cried defiantly. "Doom Archfiend Souda," Souda too released a palpable dark aura as his name was called, "destroy him!"

Souda pounced forward with a vicious howl, running like a panther towards the fast approaching hamsters. As the Dark Devas came in reach he swung his hand towards them like a claw…

"STOP THIS AT ONCE!"

The command was said with such overwhelming authority that at once hamster and man alike froze on the spot. Everyone turned to look at the entrance to the airport, where a certain blonde now came stomping towards them.

"What do you think you're doing Mr Souda?! Trying to harm these cute little hamsters!" Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess, yelled as she rapidly approached the pink haired mechanic. Souda began swaying from side to side, blinking rapidly as colour slowly drained back into his eyes. "Wh- What the?... Where am I? What j- just happened?"

Sonia rounded on him, poking a finger straight into his chest and glaring at him face-to-face. "Don't play dumb with me! I just saw you about to hit those adorable little creatures!"

"What! No I swear I- What's going on?"

Hinata felt a flicker of slight exasperation in his mind that only could have come from Kamukura. _"This is what happens when you get too carried away Hinata."_

" _I didn't expect it to turn out like this… Damn, poor Souda."_

" _You could always confess to brainwashing him."_

"…"

"…"

" _No."_

As a furious Sonia used the full force of her authoritative voice to scold the confused Souda, Tanaka approached Hinata with a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You are a worthy foe Bloodhound Baron, but it seems we must postpone our match until another day. Until the destined day arrives when we shall clash and tear this world asunder in our battle I propose a truce. There may be room for both of us to exist together after all… at least for now."

He extended a hand, which Hinata took without hesitation and gave a firm shake. "Very well Ice Overlord. Perhaps we both might even benefit from studying each other's techniques, we should commune again sometime."

"Indeed, the Four Dark Devas would be pleased by that."

A buzzing from his handbook informed Hinata that he had gained a Hope Fragment, but then surprisingly it buzzed again. Bringing it out to look at, Hinata realised that he had gained not just one but two Hope Fragments from Tanaka! Wow, he hadn't thought that was possible! He must have left a really good impressing on the Ultimate Breeder.

After a theatrical goodbye to Tanaka, Hinata turned back to where Sonia had been scolding Souda hoping to speak to her next. However by the looks of things the princess had just departed, and left a stunned Souda staring vacantly into space.

"Hey, you okay there Souda?" Hinata asked, feeling bad for getting Souda caught up in his mess. However Souda didn't seem to hear him, and just kept staring at the door Sonia had left from.

"I was just… scolded by a princess…" Souda's face suddenly flushed red, and an all too familiar spark of admiration lit up in his eyes. "That was awesome! Maybe she'll scold me some more!"

Yep, same old Souda. Hinata gave the mechanic a pat on the shoulder then headed over to the door. Maybe he could catch Sonia on her way back.

* * *

 _Writing Tanaka is the most fun a guy can have. Hopefully I was able to get his speech correct, because if so I intend to have Hinata speak to him like that in every other one-on-one conversation they have from now on._

 _Speaking of which I've come to a decision as to what I'm going to do instead of free time events. As much as I loved everyone's one-on-one chats I can't have them all down every time, and besides you guys already know them. Instead for each free time break I'll write a mini adventure for Hinata to go on with a few members of the group. He could go hunting for a mysterious creature with Tanaka, Sonia and Ibuki, or perhaps build the worlds greatest game machine with Nanami and Souda._

 _Are there any mini adventures you'd like to see? Drop the idea in the reviews section and I'll have a look at it. As long as it isn't M rated and doesn't involve Hinata spoiling the future I'm open to any ideas. And of course if you want to use this as a chance for Hinata to get *ahem*_ closer _with anyone that's fine with me. The HinataxHarem idea received some great positive feedback, so although Nanami is still the leading lady having some feelings bloom between Hinata and the other cast members is now on the menu._

 _That's all. See you next chapter :)_


	6. Hanamura Strikes Again

_So there's been a lot of feedback about the Hinata X Harem idea, and it turns out there a near exact split between the people who want it to be Nanami centric and people who want a harem. Although I imagine with the Danganronpa 3 anime's out then right now the Hinanami ship is overflowing with crewmembers._

 _This fic is going to remain a Hinata X Nanami fic, after all as a number of others pointed out Hinata never showed interest in some of the other before and it would seem very out of character for him to suddenly become a massive womanizer. Some of the others becoming attracted to him in this fic can be the result of Hinata being more confident, heroic and talented in this fic because of the change that occurred in him by beating Enoshima the first time around, but there's no reason for Hinata to change his characters so dynamically. Therefor certain other characters may show interest in Hinata throughout this fic, but it'll be one sided and not as focused on as the Hinata X Nanami theme. This isn't going to be a full blown romance fic anyway, but I think that this will allow me to make this fic the best that I can._

 _Now that that's out of the way let's get back to the chapter._

* * *

"Hmm… where'd she go?"

Hinata had hoped to catch Sonia outside the airport, however by the time he'd left it Sonia was nowhere to be seen. Since he didn't know which way she'd gone Hinata had picked a path at random to go down, and by the looks of things he'd chosen poorly as Sonia was nowhere to be seen.

 _"How could you have not figured out which way she went? Her trail was glaringly obvious."_ Kamukura's bored tone remarked in his head.

 _"Who would have guessed the most talented person in the world would be such a nagging backseat driver?"_ Hinata shot back.

 _"I see our fusion hasn't given you any access to my talent for witty comebacks."_

Before Hinata could reply he caught movement in the corner of his eye, and upon focusing in on it he saw a familiar white suit. The path had brought him to the statue of the Jabberwock, and standing in front of it was a person he hadn't seen in what felt like an eternity.

 _When Monokuma appeared and announced the beginning of the killing game the first feeling that had struck his and everyone else's heart was sheer, unrestrained panic. The fear of death caused all the students to look at one another with suspicion, and if things had been allowed to continue that separation would have quickly destroyed them. But then out of nowhere Byakuya had risen up and declared himself leader, assuring everyone that he would keep them safe with such unwavering confidence that none of them could doubt that he truly one born to lead others._

 _That was why, in a sense, the man they had called Byakuya had died twice. The first time was shocking enough, after all no one had really believed that any of them were capable of murder until they had found him dead under a table. But then they had found out that the one they had respected, adored even, had been nothing but an imposter. It was as if the person they'd gotten to know in such a short time had never really been there to begin with._

 _But even if he had been an imposter the sense of security he had taken it upon himself to give them had been genuine. And by doing so he showed them that no matter what identity he wore, a good heart resided underneath it._

"What do you want?" Byakuya snorted, snapping Hinata out of his little daydream. It took him a second to realise that he'd been caught staring, and his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"S- Sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I was just hoping for an introduction."

"… Introduction?" He tilted his chin up to look down at Hinata with a condescending glare. "My name is Byakuya Togami, the ultimate heir."

It was a credit to his talents that even though Hinata knew he was lying a part of him couldn't help but _feel_ convinced by his statement. Nothing he could see suggested in the slightest that the man standing before him was no less than one perfectly suited to lead a worldwide corporation.

Hinata smiled back, steeling himself so as not to wilt under Byakuya's overwhelming gaze. "I'm Hajime Hinata. A pleasure to meet you."

Byakuya's gaze didn't falter for a second. "And why did Hope's Peak choose you? What is your ultimate talent?"

"Ah, well that's the thing…" Hinata scratched his cheek nervously. "I don't really remember."

"You don't remember?" Byakuya scoffed. "Hmph, how foolish." He made a dismissive waving gesture with his hand. "Now I do believe we've finished talking, so move along! That's the only thing you skinny types are good at it seems."

Yeesh, had Byakuya been so dismissive last time around?

… Yes he had actually. It seemed that being around them for so long had made Hinata forget how weird everyone had been initially.

Byakuya was turning away, obviously finished with the conversation for now, and for a second Hinata considered saying something to let Byakuya know that he was in on his secret. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind he realised how wrong of him it would be to do so. The imposter was someone who's very existence revolved around his talent, it was the crutch he used to live day by day. If Hinata even suggested that he could tell he wasn't the real Byakuya it would surely unnerve him, maybe even cause him to break down in some way. This was a subject incredibly personal to the imposter, and one that should only be addressed when he was comfortable with it. Hinata had no right to interfere in this affair until the imposter was comfortable enough to bring it up himself.

"Okay then." Hinata shot him a smile. "I'll see you around Byakuya."

Byakuya gave a grunt in response, which was clearly all the acknowledgement he was going to get. A buzzing from his handbook informed him that he'd gained another Hope Shard, and so with a goodbye was Hinata headed off back down the path again.

It wasn't long before he reached the next area, the ever-stocked Rocketpunch Market. Just like always the shelves were stacked high with various foods, drink and miscellaneous equipment. However there was one difference Hinata immediately spotted from the first time he'd explored around here, there were far more people about.

Just like last time he could see Mikan and Ibuki in different isles, however this time they were both engaged in a conversation with another person. Sonia was chatting away excitedly with Ibuki (about some strange Novoselic custom no doubt) and Hanamura was clearly making some overly perverted advances on Mikan. The mere thought of the innocent, submissive Mikan left alone in Hanamura's presence instantly set off alarm bells in Hinata's mind, and before he could think it over his legs were taking him towards the pair.

"You just n- need me to… kiss it better?" Mikan asked timidly. "And that'll make the throbbing go away?"

"Go away my dear? No no no, it'll do exactly the opposite!" Hanamura grinned lecherously. "Ah, but don't worry, that'll help make it better! You just need to keep kissing it until it throbs hard enough to release the pressure in it!"

Mikan smiled happily, her face clearly showing she didn't get it. "Oh, I see. In that case I'd be happy to help."

"You two had better not be talking about what I think you're talking about." Hinata said evenly but threateningly as he approached, shooting a glare at Hanamura. The ultimate chef began sweating profusely.

"Ahh, busted. Then again I wouldn't say no to a bit of voyeurism…"

One smack round the head later and Hanamura had shut his trap.

Happy that Hanamura wouldn't pull anything for a while, Hinata looked over to Mikan to introduce himself. "Hello there, I'm…"

"I- I'm sorry."

The minute he looked at her Mikan burst into tears, sobbing as if she'd brought about the end of the world… Well she kind of had actually, but that was beside the point. The point was that once again Hinata suddenly felt incredibly guilty for making a girl cry, even if he had no idea what it was he'd done to make her cry in the first place.

"Um, hey… you don't need to cry you know." He said softly. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"But- But I made you two fight." Mikan choked out between sobs. "And got Hanamura hurt."

"Oh don't worry about that…" Hinata looked over towards Hanamura, who despite rubbing the bump on his head had an expression of perverted bliss on his face. "I'm pretty sure he's enjoying it. Anyway let's back to introductions. My name is Hajime Hinata, nice to meet you."

Mikan's sobs faded a little bit, and she smiled weakly back at Hinata. "M- My name is Mikan Tsumiki. Um… From the bottom of my heart, I hope we can get along."

 _If a person wasn't in their right mind, were they to blame for their actions?_

 _That had been a subject of philosophical debate for countless ages. If a person was drunk were they to blame for their actions? What about someone who had been drugged by somebody else? Or someone who was had a mental illness? Where was the line between something being a person's fault and it being out of their hands?_

 _It was a question that had plagued everyone's thoughts after Mikan's execution. Considering that she had been infected by a disease that warped your very mind could Mikan really be labelled a murderer? The part of them that'd been raised in a society that prized kindness and understanding said no, she'd had her mentality altered and therefor was absolved of any blame. However another part of them deep down, the part that recognised the traces of the Mikan they'd come to know laughing to herself as she confessed to her crime, couldn't help but suspect that Mikan had been more in control of her actions than she'd led them to believe._

"Um… you know… um…" Whatever composure Mikan had gained seemed to suddenly be fading away, and timidness came flooding back into her body. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes again. "Uhhhh…. My mind is drawing a blank … from the nervousness… And I went through the trouble of preparing 5000 different topics to discuss after introductions."

It was seriously difficult to reconcile the Mikan he'd seen at the third trial with the Mikan standing before him now. Poor Mikan, always so desperate to be helpful that she forgot to think of herself first. Hinata gave her a friendly smile. "That's okay. We're going to be on this island for quite a while right, so we've got all the time in the world to discuss those topics. There's no rush."

Mikan laughed a little to herself, then her eyes suddenly shot wide open in alarm. "Ah! I- I'm sorry for laughing so suddenly! I- It's just… I can't help it. I'm just so happy, I can't remember the last time I made a friend… Ah! Not that you actually want to be friends with me! I'm soooo sorry I said something so presumptuous!" Tears began to fall from her eyes again. "I'll do anything you say… just… please don't hate me!"

A beeping from his handbook informed him that he'd somehow gained another Hope Shard. From making someone cry? That settled it, Hope Shards were bullshit.

"Uh, hey now. You don't need to cry." He said in what he hoped was an assuring voice. "You're not being presumptuous at all. I'd love to be friends with you."

"You- You would?" Mikan seemed genuinely surprised by the gesture, and for a second her face lit of with happiness like a lightbulb. But then another look of shock passed across her face. "Ah! I'm sorry that you had to devalue your standards for friends in order to cheer me up! I'm sorry…"

Geez, there really was going to be no end to this. Hopefully he could make some more progress once Mikan had enough time to feel comfortable coming out of her shell a bit. A buzzing in his pocket informed him that he'd managed to snag another of Mikan's Hope Shards just now, so with another assurance that she had nothing to be sorry for and a goodbye Hinata headed over to Hanamura, who had taken the chance while he was distracted talking to Mikan and was creeping over towards Sonia and Ibuki with his fingers waggling lewdly.

"And just where do you think you're going mr." Hinata said sternly, grabbing the chef by the back of his collar.

Hanamura looked away sheepishly "Ahh, busted again. Then again maybe I should stay with you. Rough stuff has its appeal, and I'm getting a distinct dominatrix vibe from you."

A cold shiver ran down Hinata's back. He had almost forgotten that Hanamura was like this. Almost. "That's not going to happen." He deadpanned.

Hanamura sighed. "I've been denied eh. Well no matter, the clever poet knows not to put all his best verses in the first sonnet. The thrill of the chase makes things more fun after all." He flourished his hand as he gave a low bow. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Teruteru Hanamura, the ultimate cook. Though I'd prefer it if you call me the ultimate chef, it has more of a big city flavour to it.

 _When Monokuma had first announced that the students had to kill each other many of them simply hadn't believed it. The thought that any of them, young and happy classmates, would ever have a reason to kill each other was ridiculous. Murderers were greedy, corrupt and jealous people. Surely none of them would give in to any of the temptations offered to them._

 _However Teruteru had showed them how wrong they were. Because at the heart of it Teruteru had murdered for love, because he was desperate to know if his mother was all right, and how could any of them say that something like that was wrong. The world may well have been destroyed if what Monokuma had said was true, could anyone really be blamed for wanting to make sure their family was safe?_

 _Perhaps it was for the best that Teruteru hadn't made it to the battle with Enoshima. Because if he had learnt that he himself had brutally killed his own mother it would have destroyed him. Sometimes living could be a worst fate than death._

"Hajime Hinata. I can't quite remember what my talent is right now."

Hanamura looked at him curiously. "You can't remember?"

"I'm having some memory problems."

Hinata could almost see the lightbulb going off over the chef's head. "Why that explains it! Why you've been acting so cold, like you didn't know me!" In a flash Hanamura was way too close to him, his arms wide open as if to embrace him. "You may have forgotten Hinata, but actually the two of us have been enthralled in a hot and steamy love affair for quite some time now! Perhaps it'll jog your memory to return if I…"

One quick smack later and Hanamura had a second lump forming on top of his original bruise. "My my Hinata, we really should come up with a safe word…"

God damn it Hanamura.

Once again his handbook beeped to show that he'd received a Hope Shard, and Hinata took the chance to exit the conversation before Hanamura could come up with anything else. He headed over to where Sonia and Ibuki were talking, making sure that the chef didn't come with him.

"Oh haiiiii! Who're you?" Ibuki shouted with an over enthusiastic wave as she noticed him approach.

 _For all the students on the island the words 'Ibuki' and 'Energy' quickly became synonymous. Even when she was doing the simplest of tasks Ibuki had a way of whipping up the flow of things and making everything more exciting. She could blast into the room like a hurricane, trash the place and then leave you behind in her wake with a large smile on your face._

 _It was only when she was gone that everyone realised just how much of a difference she made. Without her the island changes overnight; the sounds became quieter, colours became duller, and things that'd once been fun lost their appeal. It was almost as if the island itself was starting to die. And without her energy to give them strength despair began to worms its way inside them even faster._

"Hajime Hinata." He replied with a smile. "What's your name?"

Like the limitless bundle of energy she was Ibuki bounced up and down on her heels, her cheerful expression shining like a lightbulb. "Ah, that's right! Introductions are a go-go! I- Buki- Mio- Da! Put it together and what do you get? Ibuki Mioda!"

Beside her Sonia's eyes alighted with curiosity. "Is this a traditional Japanese way of introducing oneself? In that case allow me to properly introduce myself as well." She mimicked the way Ibuki bounced on her heels. "Son- Ia- Ne- Vermind! Put it together and what do you get? Sonia Nevermind! My, that was such fun! Japanese customs are so peculiar but so entertaining."

 _It was the duty of royalty to stand proud and strong no matter what danger lay ahead, to be a symbol of strength for those in your country that looked up to you. There could be no denying that in that sense Sonia lived up to her title, as even when student after student resorted to murdering each other Sonia stood firm before the despair, never once backing down._

 _But could Sonia still really be considered a princess considering what she had done to her own people? By her order the Novoselic royal guard had turned upon her own people, and reduced Novoselic to a chaotic wasteland in the name of despair. The girl who believe that the duty of a monarch to guide their people down the right path was gone, replaced by a mad queen who wished to make her people suffer simply for the sake of it._

"Gyah! That was so cool Sonia!" Ibuki squealed in that way unique only to her. "All right, introductions are finished! More importantly, check out this bombtastic supermarket! They got hamburger, ramen noodle, chili beans, bratwurst, pasta… ooooh, melons! Americans, Chinese, Mexicans, Germans, Italians, and even people from Yubari would shop here! Ma I'm hellaaaaaaa stoooked! I'm thirty-one flavours of stoked for all this deliciousness! And when I'm excited I get hungry-mungry…"

Hinata shot an apologetic grin at Sonia as Ibuki continued rambling on about… whatever she was talking about… when he saw from her expression that Sonia had no clue what she was on about either. Still it felt refreshing to see her again, things really had changed when she had gone and he really had come to miss her abundance of energy.

"Kyahaha, the human body sure is a mystery!" Ibuki laughed as her tirade finally came to an end.

Hinata nodded sagely. "That it is Ibuki. That it is. How about you Sonia, how are you feeling about this whole situation?"

Sonia gave him a graceful smile. "Well this may seem strange of me to say but truthfully… I'm feel happy."

Hinata raised an eyebrow. "Happy? What about?"

"In my home country I… did not have a single friend my age whose standing matched my own. So to be able to do this with everyone is a new experience for me. And so, I shall extol your virtues!"

Ibuki leapt up in excitement. "Gyaah! Sonia's gonna extol our virtues! Yeah, rock it! I'm gonna extol _all_ the virtues."

Well they both seemed to be getting on fine together. He'd received another Hope Shard from each of the girls, and seeing how fascinated Sonia was by Ibuki's rambling decided to leave them too it. After a goodbye to the two of them Hinata left the supermarket, heading back out into the bright sunlight of the outside.

There were only three people left he hadn't spoken too, and only one place left to explore; the main hotel itself. It would have made more sense for him to have gone straight there after talking to the people around the pool, but truthfully he wasn't sure if he was ready to do so. Because in the lobby he was almost certain he would find _her_ ; the girl he was both impossible desperate and impossibly nervous about seeing again at the same time.

"Courage Hinata! Courage!" He whispered to himself. "You're ready for this. You're…"

"Aha! Good to see you're up and about…"

Hinata froze at the sound of the voice. There was no doubt who that voice belonged to, he'd recognise it anywhere. And not for any good reason, but because he'd come to associate that voice as the harbinger of trouble.

He looked over to his right, towards the owner of the voice who was walking towards him. There was no mistaking the dark green coat with the jagged-cut tail he wore, nor the messy white hair and sickly pale complexion. There was no running away now, it was time to face the person he'd least wanted to see again. It was time to face…

"I was hoping to talk to you again." Said Nagito Komeada.


End file.
